naturegirl

He is HUGE! I love that you had your girls with you I'll bet you carry more shells next time...lol

I'll be there too along with my little girl who loves going to BPS to look at the animals and fish.

Saw your truck. Can't believe I haven't been before. Cool place

A little while back, Edge (Tim) invited me to come along on a back-country horseback hunt. An adventure such as this is definitely on my list of “to dos” so I was in. As soon as the dates were set, the excitement hit and I literally started losing sleep over it. I’ve said it many times before that the anticipation before a hunt reminds me of when I was a kid waiting for Santa Claus to arrive, and this wasn’t just any typical hunt – I was going backcountry on a horse! Ginger & Favor = Best Buds I’ve got my packing down pat, but I still needed to trim some fat in order to have a horse carry me and my load. I asked lots and lots of questions and quite often the answer was “If it doesn’t fit on the horse, then it stays in the truck.” This would send me back to packing to see what I could do without. Finally I came up with what I considered a good amount and was sincerely hoping he thought so too. Edge provided me with a sweet little mare named Zazzy who is one heck of a good horse. Both Edge & I had to leave stuff in the truck. I left my tripod and he left his rain jacket since there were no large storms in the forecast at that time. I too had left my rain pants at home, but did take my KUIU rain jacket since it’s so versatile. Zazzy & part of my load Edge trained Favor to side step to the trailer so he can tie the load. Favor is 17HH. We started up the trail, which at first required some stopping and adjusting of Favor’s load. This was done by adding rocks to the light side to balance it out. He is a beast of a horse and built as strong as they come. I watched in amazement following behind him as he found his balance and rhythm with the new load. Before we left the truck, I asked Edge “So what happens if we see a huge buck on the way in?” His answer “You take a picture.” So right then I pretty much knew we’d see a good buck on the way in so I was looking hard to find him. I spotted a couple does first and then Edge spotted another group of does. We were riding along and I was looking down into this ravine. Way way down at the bottom just inside the mountain shadow was what looked to be a decent mule deer buck by the size of the rack. I was just getting ready to say “Hey Tim, have you seen mule deer bucks in here?” but before the words came out the buck bounded up the mountainside and I could clearly see he was a Coues by his flagging white tail. I was clicking away with my telephoto lens from horseback, which by the way does not work very well, but I forgot my regular lens at home. I did manage to get the picture below, but I’m wondering if it wasn’t a bigger buck that I saw first. It didn’t matter either way because there was no chance any buck was getting an arrow. This was all for visual enjoyment. We continue on up and down the mountains and I’m thoroughly enjoying the breathtaking scenery. I haven’t hunted in terrain like this before so it was all new to me. I did specifically ask Edge ahead of time what type of trail we would be taking because I have been known to get off and walk my horse a time or two if afraid. So the next thing I know we are heading up this steep mountain and I’m trying my best NOT to look to my side because I see the rock slides and they are going straight down. It’s steep and if my horse loses her footing, there is no stopping any of it and we are going DOWN! Now my anxiety really starts kicking in and normally I’d be off walking my horse at this point, but I was able to talk myself through it or should I say pray myself through it along with a few tears. I know my fear of heights isn’t the “norm” and I know I have to keep at it. I also needed to let go and trust the horse. After what seemed like forever and a day going up that scary trail, we finally reached a wide flatter section of the trail, which made me smile from ear to ear. My heart rate started slowing down and I was breathing easy again, but yes I knew right then I had to go back the same way we came in, which was okay because I was done with it for now! Edge didn’t know about any of this until later when I told him, as girls have pride too. I made it! About two-thirds of the way in, we lost the sun at which time Zazzy & I took the lead. Zazzy, being at the bottom of the hierarchy within the herd, needed a little encouragement from me to get out front, but once she did she gained her confidence and took her job seriously. Mr. B, Tim’s aussie-heeler mix, is as white as snow and led the trail well. My headlamp was only required a couple times to check their course and correct if needed. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip because we all got to use different senses, and I enjoyed watching the animals do their jobs so well in the dark. Or maybe I liked this part so much because I couldn’t see any cliffs! We arrived at camp a couple hours after dark and set up our tents. Around noon the next day I hiked out of camp to hunt. I had been warned about bears being in the vicinity (as if the huge piles of bear scat everywhere wasn’t enough to tell me) so I was armed with both my sidearm and bear mace. I was alert for bears……very alert for bears. All of my senses were at full throttle. I was glancing this way and that and I see this well…it looks like a bear, but it’s kind of a little flat (this is what I’m thinking). So I walk over and it’s a dead bear! She is completely undisturbed and looks like she just walked down the hill and lay down to die. She had the prettiest long golden hair around her snout. I came back to camp and Edge asked if I had seen anything. My answer was “Yeah a bear.” He looked up at me and I quickly added “A dead one.” He said it was pretty rare to find a dead bear so I tested my skills to see if I could find her again and I marked the spot with my GPS. Typically I only mark camp and then my GPS is off for the remainder of the time. I feel you need to keep the skills you have and if you rely too much on technology, you lose it. I was given a good sense of direction by my father. My sweet mother has lived here since 1979 in a blocked grid city and still gets lost going from Mesa to Chandler (and no I’m not kidding). I hunted throughout the next day and around 2 pm it started to rain. For whatever dumb reason, I had left my umbrella and rain jacket at camp. Somehow I magically found a 2’x2’ piece of corrugated metal that was just laying out there so I decided to use this as my umbrella. I balanced that thing on my head which kept me dry for hours, and boy oh boy did I see a lot of deer! I did try drawing my bow with the umbrella on, but unfortunately was unsuccessful and would end up hearing metal to metal each time I tried. So here I am cruising up to a large meadow area with my silly metal umbrella. I look ahead and I see five does frolicking in the meadow about 100 yards in front of me. I then look to my left and there are another three does at the edge of the meadow. I think to myself “man if there are this many does there just has to be buck.” So I reach up and take off my umbrella. Not two seconds later a good buck with nice dark antlers runs about 20 yards in front of me across the meadow with a doe right on HIS tail. They stop about 75 yards away and then disappear into the thick stuff. All the other does stayed so I stayed in the area as long as I could, but never saw the buck again. I grabbed my “umbrella” and hiked back to camp. Our plan was to leave the following morning, but it literally had rained nonstop since 2 pm the previous day so we decided not to travel in the rain and hunkered down for another day. My tent was sopping wet and so was my sleeping bag. I did an inventory of dry items, put them in a dry bag, and told Edge I was down to one dry outfit, 2 pairs of socks, and no dry jackets. He wasn’t much better off than me except his tent was dry whereas mine required constant care to keep from becoming a pool. I got out my silver emergency blanket (yes those cheap ones from Wal-Mart) and placed it over my sleeping bag to at least keep it dry from my profusely leaking tent. At about 5 pm Edge & I had a conversation that went like this: Edge “If you get cold and are shivering….” I interrupt with “Yes, I’ll say something. I don’t want to wake up a frozen popsicle.” I must’ve asked at least a dozen times throughout the day if his tent was dry because I felt better knowing there was at least one dry shelter, but in the meantime I kept at keeping the water out of mine. My heart ached for the horses as they positioned their rumps into the wind drenching wet and shivering, but my heart was torn because I too was cold and wet. Edge is an excellent caretaker of his horses. He was constantly moving them around trying to find the best spot for them. Before we even left, he had made it clear to me that the care of the horses comes first, but I’ll have to be honest that last night my own needs were quickly becoming my number one priority. There haven’t been many times my skills have been tested to this extent, but when you’re in the back country you have only what you bring and what Mother Nature provides. This particular day Mother Nature decided to provide us with NONSTOP heavy rain. Now my skills were being tested and my comfort was already out the door a very long time ago. The view from my tent Since I’ve had to replace most of my camping and hunting equipment on a tight budget, I’m always looking for a bargain. On a trip to Goodwill, I saw a North Point mummy sleeping bag for $12.99. I could tell it was good quality so I grabbed it. The zipper wasn’t working. Either that or I’m just not smart enough to fix it, but regardless I’ve used it a bunch as is. I’m small enough I can just roll myself up in it. I will never understand how a wet sleeping bag with a silver emergency blanket over the top kept me warm that night, but it surely did. Those two items saved my rear big time. My rain jacket was with me, but it couldn’t dry out because there was no place dry for it to dry. I also mentioned to Edge that I used game bags as socks and he said he had done the same exact thing. Game bags also came in handy attempting to dry my sleeping bag and I threw a couple into the feet area of the bag. My logic was it would soak up at least a little moisture or provide some added warmth. Finally, and I do seriously mean finally, Saturday morning the rain breaks. With great effort Edge manages to get a fire going and we dry a couple items. I took my second to the last pair of socks (which were like gold at this point) and put them on. I carefully placed my feet in gallon sized zip lock bags before putting my wet boots on. This was a trick I was taught as a kid in Illinois. I gave Edge my final pair of dry socks and he did the same with zip lock baggies and his boots. He also mentioned that I was pretty smart for bringing an umbrella along, which is typically a part of my pack. We cleaned up camp, packed the horses and headed out. I was very very glad when we got to the truck and it was warm and dry! As for Coues deer, I’ve never seen so many in my life and I’m very thankful for every up-close experience I had with them. I also learned a couple dollar emergency blanket is a very important part of any hunters pack and I need a good lightweight backpacking tent in my arsenal. I’m always seeking the adventure, not just a hunt, and this definitely fit the bill. Thank you Edge for sharing your animals and your spot with me. My knowledge bank got fuller this season and I look forward to chasing some Coues bucks somewhere again next winter! I have also earned myself the new self-imposed nickname of “The Buck Repeller!” You know the saying though even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes so I’ll keep on at it. Someone from the past carved my old nickname into a tree and I just happened to find it! Odd find considering the location.

I need therapy. My bow is in the hospital. This is a great idea!

I've also met men who shoot this bow. It is an easy shooting bow. I think I'll keep mine forever. Wish it was a 60/25. I've always wanted a backup bow...lol

There were no outward signs of cause of death that I could tell. BUT I did not move her in anyway. I was a tad afraid to touch her so I just looked and took pictures.

Thank you. I know I get windy with my recaps and as it is I left out so much!!!! I could've easily wrote double and had double the pics. If you are not into reading a small novel, the pictures tell the story just as well

See you Monday evening at BPS.

Ex got him in the divorce. He's good though That's funny your ex got him? They are buddies and my place is off limits to anyone he associates with. Thanks for all the names

Ex got him in the divorce. He's good though

I'm watching this thread. Let me know what you decide My bag kept me warm, but it is not light enough for a backpack hunt.

I'm going to add that I could do without all the photos of snakes around houses. I like to think my parcel is a snake-free zone and I don't like looking at all the places they can hide or sunbathe by human residences. I'll just keep pretending they live in the mountains away from my place.

That is an awesome collection of photos. I too leave them alone and just move on my way. It seems everyone else I'm usually with wants to kill them and I'm fighting for the rattler's life. Go figure. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. I didn't like hunting them with my dad when I was a kid and didn't like seeing the eggs with baby snakes when some of the females were cut open. I grew up with rattlesnake skins hanging on our living room and kitchen walls. They are so much prettier in the wild if you ask me I do not like that last photograph though. Brings back bad memories of a den I found once awhile back when javi hunting. I had to call for backup to be collected from my spot because I wouldn't move. There were way too many for my liking. I've only seen that once and don't care to see it again. And yes they taste pretty much like chicken in my opinion.

This is the best video I've seen. Tenderloins and backstraps are not missed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7AHA2TyqHo&feature=youtu.be

Wow this is so sad, i have 3 girls and a son i would never leave anyone out, your pops sounds like mine, but he did take me deer hunting when i was 10 an hour before daylight in a spot i never had been in we got there at dark an hour before daylight he said boy which way you wanna go i pointed to what i thought was the west he said be back around noon. Don't get me wrong. I love my father and my brother to no end. I am simply stating a fact of how I grew up. The boy was favored over the girls by my dad. I'm exactly where I want to be and I've managed to find my balance somewhere in the middle. I believe my parents gave me the greatest gift by exposing me to the outdoors since my first camping trip when I was 3 weeks old. I've passed this gift onto my 3 children who were all camping within their first few months of life. It just irks me a tad that people still feel this way about girls. ughh!

I was left behind a lot as a kid while my brother got to go with my dad small game hunting. I was left behind when my dad took my brother on back country horseback trips. Get the picture here.... Fast forward to about age 30 when I'm re-introduced to hunting. Add another 6 or so years before I'd pick up a gun to hunt and another year for a bow. I was a kid who didn't want to be left home. I ended up becoming a non-hunter (actually almost an anti-hunter) and just about a vegetarian. It's possible I could've been a hunter my whole life, but because I was born without testicles I was left behind. I'd like to see someone tell me I'm not welcome in camp because it's "guys only." New hunters, women, and kids can all teach you something if you are listening.

Most give free consults, but most likely you will have to spend money to go after him, although you may find someone who is willing to wait for payment after the case settles. My divorce attorney is very expensive, but he's working with me and gave me a discounted rate. Why? Because all I had to do was ask and we negotiated his rate to $50 cheaper an hour. I didn't know prior to this that attorneys rates can be negotiable.

Sorry hoghntr. I know you asked us not to say this, but it's VERY nice of you to do this. Prayers and a donation sent Jared's way.

I always carry a pen and spiral notebook. I find it much easier and faster to write the "old-fashioned" way not to mention I'm always trying to conserve my phone battery when out and about. In Illinois in certain areas they require signing in and in other areas they require hunters to register with them online notifying them that you will be hunting a certain area and then you also have to fill out a detailed piece of paper and keep it on your dash (they don't have quads there like they do here since there is place to ride them). After the hunt, you are required to turn the paper in. We had to go back into town one day to get computer access to register with Illinois DNR and print the piece of paper required for the dash. It was one of the requirements we missed beforehand.

Here's a video for those of us who do not know how to open these things. I thought it would be quick to cut it with my pocket knife and 5 stitches later to my thumb I know this wasn't a good idea. I wanted quick and there is nothing quick about it according to the video. Yes I am accident prone, but I'm sure I'm probably not the only one whose done this. Dang it's hard to type with a numb thumb...lol

No sense in having to sign in/out if G&F isn't going to keep up on it. Completely defeats the purpose.

I've known two people who drew back to back premium unit bull tags (archery). Both were successful their first year and turned in their surveys. Totally thought it was odd, but the draw is all about odds and I don't think it can be figured out. I think some people just have more luck than others.

A few years ago we had a trail cam on a very popular tank south of the valley in early December. We had quite a few cameras out that year and had been watching a family of lions (mom, 2 older youngins) frequent different tanks in the area. It was the first and only lions we have gotten on camera and we ended up with a lot of pictures from multiple different locations. We pulled our cards and reviewed the pictures. Sure enough the lion and her cubs were on film again, but here's where it gets interesting. We have pictures showing the lions at the tank and seconds later we show an archery hunter on film. He retrieves his arrow and starts combing the ground (appears he's looking for blood). Next thing you know our camera is being messed with (all on film). it was very obvious they were trying to tamper with or steal our camera. Then the two hunters put on face masks and combed the area for about 45 minutes. All of this might have been pretty fun to watch on a trail camera, but the problem is the kittens still had spots. I had spoken with the G&F officer down in the that unit on multiple other occasions so I forwarded him all the pictures. I know the G&F officer came down to review the area because we also got him on camera, but I never heard what happened after that. This is probably one of the most interesting things we have caught on camera. How very tempting it is to post the pictures, but I'm not sure of the legality of it because we are all innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. I would've thought he missed, but he spent too much time in the area after the shot and I also was able to identify a spot on the ground after the shot that appears to be blood. This is a picture of the lions. Down below in a reply I posted more pictures.

So I'm not the only one. I seriously am LMAO. Great way to start the morning....LOL